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Relief for Wajir woman as doctors successfully remove knife lodged in her cheek

Friday January 8 2016

Kenyatta National Hospital's lead maxillofacial surgeon Edwin Rono holds a knife removed from Ms Fatuma Ibrahim after a team of doctors successfully removed it from her cheek on January 8, 2015. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

Doctors at Wajir Hospital could not help Ms Ibrahim, as the hospital does not have intensive care unit facilities to stabilise the mother of four.

An X-ray image shows the knife had gone through the nasal cavity, missing the left eye by inches. Pulling out the knife would have run the risk of seriously flooding her respiratory system with blood.

Doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on Friday successfully removed a knife lodged in the cheek of a woman who was a victim of domestic violence in Wajir.

Ms Fatuma Ibrahim, 32, was rushed to KNH on Thursday evening from Wajir Referral Hospital following an attack by her husband.

She sustained multiple stab wounds in the abdomen, legs, chest and right side of her face. Ms Ibrahim arrived at the Wajir Referral Hospital nine hours after she was assaulted and was immediately airlifted to Nairobi by Amref Flying Doctors.

Ms Ibrahim then underwent surgery, performed by a team of doctors led by Dr Edwin Rono, a maxillofacial surgeon at the hospital, and she is reported to be in a stable condition.

“The patient underwent assessment from a multi-disciplinary team of specialists to determine the extent of the injuries. A CT scan was then carried out after which she was taken to the emergency theatre for the removal of the knife,” said Lily Koros, the CEO of Kenyatta National Hospital.

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An X-ray image of Ms Ibrahim’s head shows how the knife entered from the right side of her face, narrowly missing her left eye.

Although her face is still swollen and she cannot speak, doctors are optimistic that she is on her way to a full recovery and will be discharged from the hospital in a few days.

She is also expected to undergo counselling sessions at the hospital’s Gender Based Violence and Recovery Centre.

Meanwhile, her husband, Mohamed Wamorje Deeq, appeared in the Wajir Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning and was ordered remanded at the Wajir police station for 14 days. The case will be mentioned on January 13.

“We will weigh the circumstances and settle on proper charges against him,” said Mr Nicholas Mutuku, the acting deputy director of public prosecutions.

According to Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Ibrahim Ali, domestic violence is common in Wajir County.

“Thousands of such cases go unreported because these issues are solved in the traditional Maslaa Courts according to the Somali culture. These courts are chaired and comprised of men,” said Ms Ali.